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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26337766">Royal Blues</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/HuginnWrites/pseuds/HuginnWrites'>HuginnWrites</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Colors You Live By [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Persona 5, Persona 5 Royal, Persona Series, Shin Megami Tensei Series</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Persona 5: The Royal Spoilers, Romance, Slice of Life</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 03:01:21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>7,174</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26337766</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/HuginnWrites/pseuds/HuginnWrites</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>After leaving his old life behind, Ren Amamiya once again arrives in Tokyo. Ren seeks to reunite with his friends and loved ones he was forced to leave behind, including his girlfriend Sumire Yoshizawa. However, Ren is not as free from his past as he thinks; his decisions and actions in the past continue to weigh on his conscience.</p><p>As he struggles to forge a path and future for himself as Ren Amamiya, he begins to realize how deeply he was affected by the things—and people—he was forced to leave behind.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Amamiya Ren/Yoshizawa Sumire | Yoshizawa Kasumi, Kurusu Akira/Yoshizawa Sumire | Yoshizawa Kasumi, Persona 5 Protagonist/Yoshizawa Sumire | Yoshizawa Kasumi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Colors You Live By [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1931521</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>36</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Royal Blues</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>After months away, Ren Amamiya finally returns to the place he calls home.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hello! I'm Huginn, and I'm... new, I guess, to fan fiction? I've got a college degree in Creative Writing that I haven't used since I graduated, and Persona 5 Royal (in particular Sumire &amp; Ren) really left me wanting more in a way I haven't felt before. This story is told from two perspectives; chapters bounce back and forth from Ren and Sumire to present different points of view on certain events and to follow them and how they live their lives. It won't be back and forth every chapter, sometimes you might get a few in a row as one character or another, but it should be pretty obvious who's who.</p><p>As a result, this story is a bit of a "kill two birds with one stone" deal; I'm putting pen to paper to get back into the habit of writing, and also making a story for myself (and others, hopefully) to enjoy!</p><p>PS: Spoilers, this takes place after Royal so don't read it if you aren't prepared for that.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Are you sure this is what you really want?” My hand lingered over the knight on the chessboard, rocking it back and forth on its tile. Akechi had always been strict about that; once you let go of the chess piece, you’d made your move. You were committed. That had cost me a few times before, but not tonight. Not in our last game.</p><p>“Is that some kind of joke?” He sat across from me in one of the booths in Leblanc, a black pawn spinning idly between his gloved fingers. His overcoat and scarf laid draped over the back of the bench; it was like the last few months had never happened. How many times had we stayed here playing chess late into the night while the radio crackled behind the bar? Back before we’d both laid all our cards on the table. No betrayal, no Shido, no Yaldabaoth… just chess. “You can’t seriously be asking me that, Joker. Don’t you dare have second thoughts about this. I’ll never forgive you.”</p><p>“But what if he’s right? Maybe it doesn’t need to end like this. What if there really is another way?” I slid the knight across the board and plucked Akechi’s rook from its place, setting it beside his other casualties. “We could be friends, Akechi. You could live a normal life. That doesn’t make you hesitate even a little?”</p><p>“You’re pathetic.” Akechi knocked my knight off the board with his queen, letting it clatter onto the floor. “Is that what you want? To live in some fantasy world where we get to pretend we haven’t tried to kill each other? You want to live that kind of lie? None of it would be real.”</p><p>“But it could be, right?” The board was growing pretty sparse as the game wore on, but that was nothing new. Our matches always went down to the wire, whittling away at each other slowly. We each knew how the other liked to play, the moves we liked to take, the gambits we were willing to bet on for a win. The Detective Prince versus the Phantom Thief, each vying to be just one step ahead of the other. I slid my last remaining pawn forward, an obvious bait. “Besides, you weren’t the one who did that. That was the Akechi who died on Shido’s boat, not you.”</p><p>“It doesn’t matter.” He raised an eyebrow as I moved the pawn, barely hesitating before sliding his queen out of harm’s way. “Have you ever heard of the Ship of Theseus, Joker?”</p><p>“No, I haven’t,” I said, shaking my head while I moved my bishop across the board. “What is it?”</p><p>“It’s a philosophical dilemma. Theseus was a hero of Greek myth, and every time his ship would return to port, they would replace the damage done; they removed old planks that had decayed, replaced the oars that had broken, patched holes that had formed. At some point, every original piece of the ship had been replaced.” Akechi moved his own rook to contest my pawn, preventing me from reaching the back of his side of the board. “The question is, Joker, is it still the same ship?”</p><p>“Of course it is,” I replied, prompting Akechi to chuckle.</p><p>“That was certainly quick,” he replied, his genuine smile barely clinging to his lips. "Why do you think that?”</p><p>“Because the ship’s identity has remained the same, even if the parts haven’t. The same thing happens with people; over time, our cells die and get replaced until eventually nothing of the original remains. Our component parts aren’t what make us who we are.”</p><p>“By that logic, the Akechi who died on that boat and I are one in the same. All of the parts have been replaced, but I’m still Goro Akechi. He and I have the same memories, the same mannerisms, the same thoughts and feelings. The physical form doesn’t matter, only the identity which belongs to it. He might’ve died on that boat in reality, but that doesn’t change who I am or what I’ve done.” He gestured down to the board, waiting for me to make my move.</p><p>“Even if that is the case, couldn’t you embrace a chance to be what Shido robbed you of being? The thought of that doesn’t make you hesitate, even a little?” I slid my bishop forward to force his hand. “Check.”</p><p>“Not in the slightest.” He frowned, his eyes darting back and forth between his king and his queen. He’d realized. I had him pinned; even if he sacrificed his own queen, he’d only be backing himself farther into a corner. “It’s a fairy tale, nothing more. I refuse to accept his saccharine kindness.” His knuckles whitened around his queen’s crown as he tipped over my bishop. “No one will control my fate but me. No one.”</p><p>“Even if it means you’ll disappear? You’re willing to go that far?” I took his queen with my last rook, leaving him with only his king and a rook of his own. “Check.”</p><p>“Did I stutter? Besides, you would subject that girlfriend of yours to his twisted reality? You could live with yourself, forcing her to live as her dead sister?”</p><p>“Maybe we could reason with him, let her live her own life—”</p><p>“He’s a lunatic! You can’t reason with him!” Akechi’s fist slammed into the table, the dull thud reverberating through the café. His scowl bored through my skull as he kept his eyes locked with mine. The clock on the wall ticked down slowly, every click of its hands taking longer and longer as the silence between us grew. Akechi sat back abruptly, his breath still ragged and uneven as he slid his king out of harm’s way. “His reality is nothing but a prison. You won’t have a choice. None of us will ever have a choice. Of all the times to lose your spine, to roll over and play dead, you would do it now?”</p><p>“I guess you make a good point.” I looked down at the board again and sighed deeply. “I just wanted to make sure that this is what you wanted.”</p><p>“It is.” Akechi’s face relaxed, the fury inside him receding now that he’d gotten the answer he wanted out of me. “I will be free, even at the cost of my own life. No one will ever chain me down ever again, whether they think it’s for my own good or not.” He glanced down at the board, then back up to me. He could tell I was stalling. “All I need from you is to show me that you can do what needs to be done. Don’t let me down now, Joker.”</p><p>I slid my queen forward.</p><p>“Checkmate.”</p><hr/><p>“Hmm?”</p><p>It took a moment to snap out of my stupor, blinking a few times on my way back to reality. The steady ticking of Leblanc’s clock was gone, along with the crackling bass coming through the radio. The rich scent of roasting beans was replaced with the train’s sterile atmosphere. Nothing but the suede chairs and the dim sound of background music beneath the clacking of the train against the railroad tracks.</p><p>No more Leblanc, no more chessboard.</p><p>No more Akechi.</p><p>The Tokyo skyline loomed in the distance, rapidly coming into focus as the train rocketed forward. Judging by the pain in my neck, I must’ve zoned out looking out the window at some point. The last thing I remember was sliding my suitcase into the overhead compartment before the train pulled out of the station back home. Something about the gentle swaying of the train car down the tracks always seemed to get me daydreaming. God, my neck was stiff. I needed to stretch.</p><p>“You alright?” Morgana stared at me, head cocked to the side. “What were you thinking about?”</p><p>“It was nothing, don’t worry about it.” At least, not anything I wanted to talk to Morgana about. The faint buzzing in my pocket resumed just as I’d managed to give my neck a satisfying crack. Right. Who the hell was texting me?</p><p>“Who is it?” Morgana’s head poked out of the bag in the seat next to me, his fur all disheveled. He’d probably been out of it for a while as well, at this point. He clambered all the way out of the bag and climbed over the center armrest, trying to get a better look while I swiped my thumb through the lock screen. He was lucky this railway allowed pets so I didn’t have to keep him squirreled away in the bag like I used to on the subway. He always claims he’s going to pay me back for the pet fee, but unless Sojiro gives him a job hunting mice or something I don’t think that’s happening any time soon.</p><p>
  <strong> <em>Sojiro: “Hey kid. Something came up, I won’t<br/>be able to meet you at the station. I’ll see you<br/>at Leblanc later tonight, alright?”</em> </strong>
</p><p>Well, speak of the devil.</p><p>“It’s Sojiro, he can’t pick us up at the station.” As of right now, Sojiro was the only one who even knew Morgana and I were headed back to Tokyo, mostly because I’d needed his help to get out here early in the first place. Without him calling, I doubt there was a chance I could’ve convinced the school to let me take my exams early. For everyone else, our grand reunion was going to be an excellent surprise here in a few days.</p><p>Well, for everyone other than Futaba. I never told her I was coming, but I was pretty sure she still had my phone bugged so there wasn’t exactly an easy way of keeping it secret. “We’ll just have to take the subway back to Yongen instead. It just means a nice little walk through Shibuya for us.”</p><p>“You mean it’s gonna be a nice walk for you, right?” Morgana grinned—can cats even grin?—and crawled back into the bag.</p><p>“You keep that up, and next time I’m going to zip you in there.”</p><p> “You couldn’t bear to be without my company for that long, Ren. You wouldn’t last twenty minutes!”</p><p>“Didn’t I just spend the last two hours staring out a window until I ended up with an even bigger pain in the neck than you are? I’m pretty sure I could manage.” We both looked up from our back and forth as the speakers above us slowly crackled to life.</p><p>“We’ll be arriving at Shinjuku Station in about two minutes. Please double check that you’ve retrieved your luggage from the overhead compartment, and thank you for traveling with East Japan Railway Company. Safe travels!” You’d think for as nice as everything else on this trains was, they could afford speakers that didn’t sound like they were older than me.</p><p>“So… Tokyo, huh? How are you feeling? You excited to finally be back?”</p><p>“Yeah. It’s been about eight months, I think.” It had been eight excruciating months since the last time Morgana and I had been able to visit. We’d planned it for months, making sure we could all line up our schedules to be in Tokyo for two weeks before we had to go back to our lives. I’d clung to those memories to get through the monotonous life I had back home. It turns out that even after they overturn your conviction, everyone in your small hometown still thinks you’re a criminal. Who would’ve guessed?</p><p>“Really? Eight months?” Morgana looked down at his front paws, doing his best approximation of counting off on his fingers. “Wow, yeah, I guess you’re right. I can’t believe it.”</p><p>“Tell me about it, we can finally do something other than go to school or work.” Our return to Neyagawa hadn’t exactly been a triumphant one, and ever since I’d hatched the plan to get back here, I was either busy getting it in motion, or trying to wrap up my schoolwork. Didn’t leave a lot of time to socialize with all the people who thought I’d weaseled my way out of a guilty verdict. “We can relax a little bit.”</p><p>“Yeah, and you can hang out with your girlfriend,” Morgana said wryly, giving me a wink.</p><p>“Is that supposed to be a joke? Last I checked I was the one who had a girlfriend and also wasn’t a cat.” I let my words hang in the air for a moment, expecting Morgana to have a witty comeback of his own, but it never came. He’d collapsed back into the bag, turning away from me so he could sulk.</p><p>That had to stop being a touch subject eventually, right? He’d been a cat for like a year now.</p><p>“Oh, lighten up,” I said, ruffling the top of his head. “I’m sure everyone’s gonna be happy to see you. And yes, that includes Ann.”</p><p>“Really, you think so?” He still wasn’t look in my direction, but his ears had perked up past the zipper.</p><p>“Of course, everyone always asks how you’re doing whenever we talk. What, did you think I took all those pictures of you just to look at them for the whole five minutes you aren’t around every day? Sometimes I think they miss you almost more than me.” Honestly, I’m pretty sure the reason they always asked about him was because Morgana didn’t have any thumbs to text with, but I didn’t have to tell him that part.</p><p>“I guess that’s true. After all, how could they not miss me? I’m one of a kind!” Just like that, his sour mood had evaporated. How did he do that? It had been a minute and it was like nothing ever happened.</p><p>“Wow, save some modesty for the rest of us.”</p><p>“I can’t help it that I’m so amazing, Ren. It’s truly a gift.” He snickered as he settled into the bag again, feeling the train start to slow. “Everyone will just have to wait until I can grace them with my presence.”</p><p>“Yeah, we’ll have to catch up with everyone when they have time.” We still had our old Phantom Thief group chat, but you miss out on a lot of stories when you don’t see each other every day. Hell, a lot of us didn’t even live in Tokyo anymore. The last I’d heard, Ryuji had won gold at some track meet at his new high school, was maybe even getting scouted for some college programs. Ann was busy modeling somewhere? I think she was out of the country. Like I said, you miss out on some of the finer details of what your friends are up to. You know, little things like what country they’re living in at the moment.</p><p>Beneath us, the train’s brakes shuddered and ground against the tracks as we pulled into the station. I swung Morgana’s bag over my shoulder and stood up to grab my suitcase. We were finally here. “Come on, let’s get going.”</p><p>“Hey Ren, if the chief isn’t going to pick us up, do you think we could grab some lunch before we head to the subway? Some sushi, maybe? I want some good fatty tuna, not like the stuff from the corner market back at home.”</p><p>“Fatty tuna, huh?” I swayed slightly in place as the train came to a stop. “Were you planning on paying, or is this delicacy of yours going to be my treat?”</p><hr/><p>Shibuya certainly wasn’t any less crowded than I remembered it being.</p><p>The crowds at the station flooded outward into the streets. Navigating the sea of people was second nature to everyone else; they could all feel the heartbeat of the city that kept everyone moving in a hundred different directions without so much as a second glance toward each other. If the people were the lifeblood of Tokyo though, I felt more like a blood clot. I got more than a few irritated glares as Morgana and I stumbled our way out toward Central Street. Every few seconds I could feel someone slam their shin into my suitcase, or they’d stare daggers at me when I didn’t manage to move with the flow of the crowd. The sooner I got back into the swing of things around here, the better.</p><p>Still, there was something comforting about the fact that Shibuya still had people churning through the streets at every hour of the day. Even if it took a bit to get used to, it was predictable. Once you got the hang of it, you always knew how to get where you needed to go. All the colorful storefronts and restaurants were still trying to pull anyone and everyone in to get their business. Some of them even still had Phantom Thief memorabilia in the windows.</p><p>Huh, imagine that. I would’ve figured everyone had forgotten about us by now. I wonder if Mishima still kept the Phan-Site up and running?</p><p>I guess it was a little different here in Tokyo compared to Neyagawa. I might have seen a sticker or two on someone’s backpack, but that was about it. Tokyo by contrast had been the epicenter of everything related to the Phantom Thieves, with us taking the city by storm after Madarame’s confession. Most of our targets in Mementos had been from Tokyo, too. Even when we weren’t taking down criminal syndicates and corrupt politicians, we were been helping the people here.</p><p>It made sense that they still cared about us, even if we were gone.</p><p>By the time we finally broke out of the crowd onto Central Street, my stomach was rumbling. I’d meant to eat before we left—I’d gotten a ticket for a later departure for that exact purpose—but I’d slept through my alarm and had to rush for the train. I was starving; if only Big Bang Burger were still running those challenges. I could’ve scarfed one of them down without a second thought.</p><p>“Morgana, do you think you could settle for sushi some other time? I’m pretty hungry and, well, Big Bang Burger is right there.”</p><p>“Big Bang Burger? We could’ve gotten that at home!”</p><p>“Yeah, but we had to rush, we didn’t have time. Not to mention, they’ve got heat in there,” I muttered, feeling the bitter chill cut straight through the wool of my coat.</p><p>“But my fatty tuna…”</p><p>“We can get sushi some other time, alright? It’s not like we’re headed back any time soon, the tuna will still be here tomorrow.” The automatic doors slid open without a sound. Thankfully, whether it was the cold keeping everyone indoors or just the time of day, there wasn’t much of a line. “Come on, I’ll get extra fries for you.”</p><p>When Haru and Takakura had taken over the leadership of Okumura Foods, they’d focused a lot on trying to reform the company’s image after the controversies with her father and his death. I’d seen the two of them in the news a few times, doing appearances talking about how they’d increased their wages and were striving to create better working conditions for all Okumura Foods locations. They’d gone around the country, visiting all the stores in Japan so Haru could meet with the staff face-to-face and see what they thought needed to change. It was a good idea, even if it was mostly symbolic; Haru had told us she was letting Takakura handle most of the company while she worked on her degree. Still, all those public appearances had definitely gotten rid of some of the ill will they’d be dealing with.</p><p>It felt odd walking in here now, even more so than it had when I was home. It never stops being a bit surreal, walking into an international fast food chain owned by a friend of yours from high school; the fact that we’d stolen her father’s heart as the Phantom Thieves was just some weird, metaphysical cherry on top. I wonder what this cashier would think if I told her I could call up the owner and put her on the phone? Of course, that would tip off Haru that I was back in Tokyo. That, and I don't think Haru would find it very amusing. At least she'd gotten rid of those kitschy uniforms during the renovations, I'm sure that already made this cashier's life a lot easier.</p><p>They’d done a pretty good job with them, too. The renovations, I mean, but the new uniforms were good too. Don’t get me wrong, the whole ‘retro diner’ aesthetic was cool and all, but Haru and Takakura had brought Big Bang Burger into the twenty-first century. It was just another step in their plans to get Okumura Foods back on track. According to Haru, all their marketing people said a fresh new look would revitalize the company. They’d ripped out all of the old tiling, those old faux leather booths, everything. The name might’ve been the only thing they actually kept.</p><p>They’d kept the checkerboard pattern on the walls—where they hadn’t covered it with some sleek wooden paneling, anyway—although they’d gone for it in greyscale instead. Between the matte black flooring and all the minimalist furniture, it looked pretty nice. The murals they’d put on the walls helped too; Okumura Foods had hired local artists to paint unique murals at every store, each one of them having something to do with outer space. Haru had mentioned those were a personal touch. Something to remember her father by.</p><p>All in all, you could almost forget you were at a burger joint.</p><p>Well, until you started eating. Everything else had changed, but a Big Bang Burger was still going to be a Big Bang Burger, you know? Still, even if it was a greasy pile of cheese and meat, it definitely hit the spot when you hadn’t eaten since the afternoon before.</p><p>After I scarfed down the first burger—and, as you might’ve guessed from the word ‘first’, a second one too—I fished my phone out of my pocket while Morgana and I shared the massive order of fries. Our group chat had been pretty silent recently, what with almost everyone else preparing for exams.</p><p>I wasn’t sure when I wanted to let everyone know I was back, but I figured I’d give it a couple of days. I needed time to get used to being back here in Tokyo, to not feel quite as much like a fish out of water. That, and I didn’t want everyone to feel like they had to scramble to make time. It’s not like I was leaving. The last thing anyone had mentioned was Yusuke saying he’d gotten some paintings into an art exhibition, and that was a few days ago. Maybe that’d be a good time to tell everyone the news?</p><p><strong><em>Sumi </em></strong>♥<strong><em>: Hey! How are you today?<br/>You keeping busy?</em></strong></p><p>Ah shit, when had she sent that? I must’ve missed it in the rush to get to the train.</p><p>“I ate so much…” Morgana groaned from next to me on the bench, collapsed on his back inside my bag. “It would’ve been way too much money to gorge like this on the fatty tuna…”</p><p>“Tell me about it. I think I could outpace Sumire today, although she’d probably tell me to eat something more nutritious.” Sumire was admittedly the other reason I wanted to wait to let everyone else know I was back in town. I missed all my friends, but I hadn’t seen my girlfriend in eight months.</p><p>God, I hadn’t seen my girlfriend in eight months. Getting to see her was definitely going to be a welcome change.</p><p>
  <strong> <em>Sorry, I didn’t see your last message.</em> </strong>
</p><p>
  <strong> <em>What’re you up to today? You have practice?</em> </strong>
</p><p><strong><em>Sumi </em></strong>♥<strong><em>: Yeah, we’re going a little late<br/>tonight since my parents are out of<br/>town on business right now.</em></strong></p><p><strong><em>Sumi </em></strong>♥<strong><em>: I figured since I was going to<br/>be the only one home, might as well<br/>take advantage of it and squeeze<br/>in an extra hour or two!</em></strong></p><p>Well, that’s certainly convenient. She was home alone for the next few days?</p><p><strong> <em>Well, when are you done? You want to talk tonight? I’ll<br/></em> </strong> <strong> <em>be free whenever you are.</em></strong></p><p><strong><em>Sumi </em></strong>♥<strong><em>: Yeah! Absolutely! I’ll<br/></em></strong><strong><em>let you know when I’m on my way<br/></em></strong><strong><em>home!</em></strong></p><p><strong> <em>Sounds good to me. Have fun at practice.</em> </strong> <strong>  </strong></p><p><strong><em>Sumi </em></strong>♥<strong><em>: I will! I’ll talk to you soon!</em></strong></p><p>“Who’re you texting?” Morgana asked, poking his head out of the bag a little too far for my liking. I gave him a shush and a quick motion to lean back down before angling my phone so he could see it. “Oh, Sumire huh? Yeah, I guess I should’ve figured. Have you told her you’re back yet?”</p><p>“No, not yet.” I didn’t really know how to. I thought about telling her before I got here, but I wanted to keep it a surprise. The only problem was I’d managed to make it all the way here after the work I’d done to get here early without actually having a plan to, well, surprise her. “I was thinking I’d call her tonight, maybe? You know, let her know I was in town so we could hang out tomorrow.”</p><p>“Okay, so what’s the problem?” Morgana asked.</p><p>“Well, it’s not exactly a problem, but I just found out her parents are out of town for the weekend. Now I’m wondering if I should try to meet her tonight instead.”</p><p>“Why don’t you just tell her now? You could meet her after practice or something.”</p><p>“No, if I tell her now, she’ll just be distracted by it the whole time she’s practicing. I don’t want to be the reason she gets chewed out by her coach for not being focused. That woman is merciless.” Somewhere, deep down in my muscles, I could still feel the aches from the day I’d tagged along for those kickboxing lessons. “Maybe we could show up after practice today and surprise her there?”</p><p>“That’s an idea. Do you know where she’s practicing today?”</p><p>Dammit.</p><p>“No, I don’t, and it’s not like I could ask her either. That would just tip her off.” You’d think I’d be better at this by now, but winging it has never really been my strong suit. I came up with plans to take down some of the most despicable people on the planet. Hell, I killed a god. But a date? Something a normal teenager has to deal with?</p><p>That, apparently, was beyond me.</p><p>“What if you surprised her at her house instead?” Morgana rolled over onto his stomach, groaning as he got up onto his feet before I picked him up to leave. “That could work, right?”</p><p>“After practice, you mean?” I cleaned off my tray and walked back out into the biting February cold, pulling my coat tighter around me. “You sure you don’t mind hanging out with Sojiro and Futaba tonight? I don’t want to leave you out in the cold. Figuratively, anyway.”</p><p>“Of course, Ren.” Morgana chuckled in my ear. “I can spare a night at their house in the name of true love.”</p><p>“I could make ‘out in the cold’ literal, you know. I have a key and you don’t have thumbs.” I jostled the bag on my shoulder for good measure.</p><p>“Oh, I’m sure you will, lover boy. I’m quaking in my boots.” He cackled at me from the bag again, that distinct Morgana laugh. Cartoonish, almost. I shrugged the bag forward, flipping it in front of me and grabbing hold of the zipper in one fell swoop.</p><p>“You didn’t even have boots in the Metaverse, you incorrigible furball.” Morgana didn’t have time to do much more than give a startled meow as I shoved his head down and zipped him in the bag. It wouldn’t hold him forever, but I’d made my point.</p><p>So, surprising her at her house, huh? Yeah, I could make that work. With all the places to buy things around here, there had to be a way for me to scrape together a functional date, right?</p><hr/><p>The caramelizing apples and roasting coffee beans always gave Leblanc an air of calm, one that I’d sorely missed since I’d gone home. I could feel it wash over me as I pulled open the door, greeted by the scent of intermingling spices a moment afterward. The stained-glass lamps painted the store with a soft glow, coming as a welcome reprieve compared to the sunlight outside. I shrugged Morgana’s bag off my shoulder to let him roam while I unloaded the rest of my things, placing the bouquet of roses down gently. I might’ve gotten a little carried away at the underground mall.</p><p>The rhythmic creaking of the ceiling fan in time with Sojiro’s customary smooth jazz made the stress of the last hour or so just melt away. It was comforting that everything was just how I remembered it, even down to the old couple in the corner bickering about the news. Any minute now, the rest of the group could’ve shown up and I would’ve believed the Phantom Thieves were planning another heist. Too much had changed in the last year, but not Leblanc. It was a rock to hold onto as the rest of the world churned around me.</p><p>It was good to be back.</p><p>“Kid, I appreciate the flowers, but I’m sorry to say you’re not exactly my type.” Sojiro was behind the bar, his knife rhythmically tapping against the cutting board while he prepared ingredients. He was still wearing that same old pink shirt, but there were definitely a few new stains on the apron. There might’ve been a gray hair or two poking out of his beard, too. Was that just him getting older, or was Futaba causing him too much trouble? “Well, don’t just stand there gawking. Come here, I’ll pour you a cup.”</p><p>“Thanks.” I kept the cup in my hands, letting it warm my fingers for a moment before taking a sip. The warmth of the coffee settled in my stomach, pushing out the chill that had seeped into my bones. “What is this, Costa Rican?” I asked, taking another sip.</p><p>“Well, looks like you learned something after all.” Sojiro was already back to chopping, the savory smell of garlic filling the air for just a moment before he dumped it into the simmering pot of curry. He took a taste of it from the ladle and shook his head, reaching for the spice rack. “So, what’s with the bags? They don’t look like luggage.”</p><p>“They’re for a date.”</p><p>“A date, huh? Back for a few hours and you’re already playing Prince Charming.” Sojiro’s hand came away from the spice rack with a jar in hand, sprinkling a bit into the curry as he stirred. “I guess coffee wasn’t the only thing I managed to teach you a thing or two about. So, when are you picking up the lovely lady?”</p><p>“Well, she doesn’t know I’m back in town yet. I made sure she was free tonight, but I’m going to surprise her at her house when she gets back from practice. On that note, I was wondering if maybe we could have the place to ourselves when I get back?”</p><p>“Already asking for favors, huh?” Sojiro took another taste of the curry in the pot before pulling it off the burner. The steaming broth poured down into the bowl and seeped into the bed of rice as Sojiro scooped the beef out of the pot. I’d just eaten, but the smell of that curry as Sojiro handed it across the counter made me hungry all over again. “Well, I guess since you’ve gone to all this trouble it’d be pretty rude to turn you down. Just let me know when you’re on your way back and I’ll close up.”</p><p>“Thanks,” I replied, finishing off the last of my coffee with a hearty swig. “How’ve things been here? How’s Futaba?”</p><p>“Things are good,” Sojiro said, letting out a hefty sigh. “Futaba’s been a handful ever since she started school, but I didn’t expect anything less. I’m happy she’s there and made some friends, but I wish she’d take it a little more seriously.”</p><p>“What, she not studying?”</p><p>“No, not exactly; she’s upstairs, you can ask her about it yourself.”</p><p>Sojiro had offered me the spare bedroom with him and Futaba when I’d first asked about coming back to Tokyo, but something about that just didn’t sit right with me. Not that I didn’t appreciate his offer, but I wanted the freedom of living on my own rather than intruding on them. That, and his house still felt somewhat foreign to me compared to Leblanc. I’d been there on a few different occasions during my time at Shujin, but it wasn’t the place I’d come to think of as my own.</p><p>It wasn’t home. Not like Leblanc was.</p><p>The space heater whirred along as my suitcase clacked up the stairs behind Sojiro and me, a familiar welcome to a place that had certainly changed since the last time I was here. I’d made the attic pretty livable during my time here, but it had still fundamentally been a storage unit.  We’d cleared out most of the clutter, sure, but Sojiro had still had some boxes and things lying around. I guess they must’ve been busy since I decided I was coming back.</p><p>“Ren!” Futaba exclaimed, leaving Morgana on his perch near the bed. “We missed you!” She slammed into me full force—which was significantly more than I’d expected—wrapping her arms around me while I braced myself to avoid toppling over. She was taller than I remembered, probably since she’d started eating something other than curry and instant noodles. She’d really grown up.</p><p>“I missed you guys too,” I replied, returning the hug. She hadn’t changed from her school uniform, still wearing that ugly plaid skirt that unmistakably marked her as a Shujin student. “How’s my little gamer gremlin doing? How's school, you been keeping up alright?”</p><p>“Did Sojiro tell you ask to me that?” She looked over her shoulder to scowl at him, before taking a step back. “I’m doing just fine! Sojiro’s just mad because I’ve been spending a lot of time at the arcade ever since that new game came out.”</p><p>Yeah, maybe she wasn’t quite as grown up as I thought.</p><p>“I just wish you’d be a little more diligent,” Sojiro complained.</p><p>“You get used to it, trust me.” I ruffled Futaba’s hair as I walked past her further into the room. “And to think, Sojiro, when I first showed up you thought I’d be the delinquent.”</p><p>“What? Delinquent? I’m not—“ Futaba began to defend herself, noticing the grin plastered across my face a moment too late. “Very funny, Ren,” Futaba finished, doing her best to avoid giving me the satisfaction of seeing her laugh at her own expense. “Sojiro just isn’t happy unless I’m at the top of my class. He acts like I spend every day at the arcade. He was never this strict with you.”</p><p>“Actually, he tried to be a real menace when I first got here. He was always threatening to toss me out if I got into trouble or my grades weren’t good enough. It took me months to get him to ease up.”</p><p>“A menace, huh?” Sojiro looked over his glasses at me and smirked. “I’ll remember that the next time you ask me for a favor.”</p><p>“Ha! Sojiro, he said you’re a menace!” Futaba laughed as she put on her meanest face and twisted her fingers into claws. “I’m Sojiro and I’m gonna throw you out on the streets if you don’t behave, mister! Now help me make curry!” she growled, doing the best Sojiro impersonation she could muster.</p><p>I guess this is what family bickering is like, huh?</p><p>“You guys were busy up here while I was gone, weren't you?” It was one thing to have hauled all the storage out of the attic, but they’d moved a dresser up here for me too. Judging from the box half full of the plushies and collectibles I’d left behind that was sitting on the floor, Futaba must’ve been working on getting all my old things out for me. Most of them lined the shelves for me already, meticulously arranged in the exact positions they’d been in when I left. Only Futaba would remember that kind of thing.</p><p>I brushed a hand over my desk, the old tools still hanging from their pegs. The scrapes and gouges from my misadventures in assembling thieves’ tools were gone, sanded down for a fresh coat of paint from the look of it. “When did you guys find the time to do all this? And how, for that matter?”</p><p>“Oh, that was easy, we just duped Ryuji into helping us. He came by for a visit, so we told him we were remodeling the guest room in Sojiro’s house and needed to get some of this stuff up here. Then we just moved the storage out!” Futaba plopped herself down on the couch and kicked her feet up. “He never suspected a thing.”</p><p>Yeah, that sounded like Ryuji alright.</p><p>“Ren, you haven’t even noticed the best part!” Morgana called, hopping up onto the bed. “There’s a real bed now, Ren! No more futon on a bunch of crates! It’s so comfy!” I took a seat to test it out for myself, immediately leaning back against the wall as I sunk into the mattress. Damn, that was comfy.</p><p>“Looks like they got something for you too,” I said, motioning toward the floor where a plush cat bed was sitting. “You’ve got your own bed, so you don’t have to hog mine anymore.” They’d even hung up the old Christmas lights I used to keep in the rafters. Talk about a warm welcome. It was almost like I’d never left.</p><p>“So, what do you think? We do a pretty good job sprucing the place up for you?” Sojiro looked at me, his eyebrow raised expectantly.</p><p>“It’s great, really. Feels more like home than ever.” It really did feel that way, although perhaps part of that was that it actually was home now. I didn’t have to worry about when I’d have to go back to Neyagawa. The idea of being able to come back to Tokyo—to be surrounded by my friends, to see my girlfriend, to have a little freedom—was what had powered me for the last few months. Finally being here felt almost like a dream. “Thank you both so much. It feels really good to be back.”</p><p>"It's good to have you back, kid." Sojiro had never really been one for overt displays of affection, but he opened his arms for a hug anyway. The three of us—and I think I could feel Morgana weaseling his way between our legs, too—embraced for a moment before Sojiro broke the silence. "I've got to get back downstairs, but make yourself at home, alright? Just let me know if you need anything; remember Ren, you're family now."</p><p>Maybe a little dysfunctional, but a family nonetheless.</p><p>"So Ren," Futaba whispered as Sojiro made his way down the steps, "A little kitty told me that you had a date tonight. You and Sumire having a little romantic alone time at Leblanc?" Oh god, that perverted grin never preceded anything good.</p><p>"Yeah?" I just nodded, doing my best to play dumb. "I'm surprising her in a few hours."</p><p>"Well, I just wanted to let you know that all the surveillance gear up here is turned off, you know, in case you were worried about it or anything." She clasped her hands behind her back, her grin widening even further. "The cameras and stuff downstairs are still on though, so don't get too handsy down there. Oh, and just make sure the two of you aren't too loud up here unless you're not worried about it coming through my speakers." Even I couldn't help but get startled by that. How did she contain all those hormones in that tiny body?</p><p>"You need to find a new hobby," I replied, trying to sound nonchalant. I turned around, reaching for the suitcase I'd left sitting by the desk. Our old Phantom Thief flag lay draped across the back of the couch, not yet hung back in its place on the wall. I’d thought about taking it when I left, but somehow, I figured my parents weren’t the type that had been cheering for us in my absence. It's not like it was suspicious—I know everyone else had some kind of Phantom Thief memorabilia around, the stuff had been everywhere for months—but it was better to just leave the keepsakes behind and avoid any of the questioning I might’ve gotten back in Neyagawa. I doubt they’d be thrilled to hear that their son became the most wanted criminal in Japan after they sent me away for my probation. Yaldabaoth turned the public against us, sure, but I don't think they needed very much persuading.</p><p>“Everything alright?” Futaba asked.</p><p>“Yeah, sorry. Everything’s fine.” I scooped the flag off the couch and pinned it back on the wall. “Just got a little lost in thought.”</p><p>“What, you reminiscing about us being the heroes of Japan? Stealing the hearts of the public?” Futaba threw a few fake punches into the air while Morgana meowed in agreement. Heroes. If only we hadn’t had to give that up.</p><p>There were certainly days where I’d rather be Joker than Ren Amamiya.</p><p>“Not exactly; I was more wondering if I could find my old coat for sale anywhere.”</p><hr/><p><strong><em>Sumi </em></strong>♥<em>: <strong>Hey! I just finished practice</strong></em><br/><em><strong>so I just need to change, then I'll</strong></em><br/><em><strong>be home in about half an hour.</strong></em></p><p>
  <strong> <em>Sounds good.</em> </strong>
</p><p><strong><em>Sumi </em></strong>♥<strong><em>: Yep! Talk to you soon!</em></strong></p><p>
  <strong> <em>Alright, I’ll be waiting.</em> </strong>
</p><p>Wisps of my breath tunneled through my scarf and out into the open air. It had only gotten colder since the sun started going down. The street was dusted with a gossamer layer of snow, just enough to paint the city white. Each snowflake shone for a moment as it tumbled through the air, catching the streetlight on its journey downward. I pushed myself off the wall I'd been leaning on to stretch. It should be any minute now. My glasses hung suspended between my fingers, taking care not to drop the flowers, while I rubbed the fog from my lenses. Not long after, I could see my little redhead approaching.</p><p>Showtime.</p><p>She didn't seem to notice me at first, too busy fidgeting with her ponytail as she walked. The old duffel bag she used for workouts was slung over her shoulder, but even after hours of practice she still had that same graceful stride. She pulled the collar of her coat up around her neck, only finally looking up as she was seconds from the door.</p><p>"Ren?" Her voice was quiet, barely more than a whisper. "Ren? Is that you?"</p><p>"Well, hello beautiful."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I hope you enjoyed the story! I don't know how often updates will come out, because I'm very nitpicky and a perfectionist when it comes to my own work, but I'll do my best to put them out regularly. I'm in the process of setting up a website to house my non-fic writing so stay tuned for that if it interests you, but otherwise the only thing I really have to "shill" is Twitch. You can find me at https://www.twitch.tv/huginnplays if you're so inclined, but honestly I'm just happy if this story has brightened your day, even a little bit.</p><p>I don't really have anyone else I know personally to plug here. That said, I've been poking around and, while I don't know these folks personally, there are some stories I've been enjoying in my off-time and I'd like to plug them just to share what I've been reading.</p><p>Lotus, Violet, and Cherry Blossoms by Deathmanstratos: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24211450/chapters/58325074</p><p>Recollections of Your Heart by whenyouwriteinbed: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23855620/chapters/57335611</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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